


Hopeless Romantics

by halfthechance



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Advice, Fluff and Angst, High School, M/M, teenage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 05:47:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26348095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfthechance/pseuds/halfthechance
Summary: Harry Styles is one of the most popular boys in school. He’s cute and he’s nice and he just seems to get along with everyone. He also happens to be secretly running the unofficial school advice column on Twitter. Louis Tomlinson is a quiet student who tends to keep to himself and best friend. And of course, he has a huge crush on Harry Styles.Harry Styles secretly runs an advice account for his high school and Louis Tomlinson asks for advice on his not-so-little crush on Harry himself.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik
Comments: 8
Kudos: 64





	1. The Rejection

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on my SMAU on twitter. idk how to put a link in so :) sorry
> 
> I also would like to apologize for the writing. It’s not exactly NYTimes Bestseller worthy, but it is a cute story so I hope you enjoy :)

Harry loves running the school advice account. He can easily help his peers with even the most trivial of problems without anyone knowing who he is. Which is great for two reasons. First, no one can bother him in person. Although he really does enjoy helping others, he is still rather fond of his privacy. Second, people are more open to sharing their issues when they don’t know who they are speaking to. It also helps that the account is managed by an anonymous forum, so Harry himself doesn’t even know who he is helping.

“What’s up?”

A bubbly blonde drops his bag next to the bench and plops down at the cafeteria table next to Harry.

“Hey, Niall.” Harry quietly shuts off his phone, blacking out the screen filled with submissions he had been reading through. “Not much.”

“Ugh, boring,” Niall groans before taking a large bite of his sandwich. “Well I have something to talk about.”

“Yes?”

“I want to go on a date.” Small bits of bread spray out of his mouth as Niall talks, causing Harry to flinch slightly.

“Niall,” Harry wipes under his eye where he swears a drop of saliva landed. “I am not going on a date with you.”

“Obviously not you,” Niall huffs. “Somebody else.”

“Are you going to tell me or just keep me guessing? Although, I’m not sure who could be better to go on a date with than me.”

“Louis,” Niall shrugs, taking another bite of his lunch.

“Tomlinson?”

Niall nods, sparing Harry the weather.

“No.”

“Why not?” Niall whines.

“Isn’t he kind of a fuckboy?”

“Nope,” Niall replies, popping the ‘p.’ “We’ve both slept with more people than him.”

“But he has that reputation?”

“Yes, he has a reputation, but I know everything about everyone and he doesn’t sleep around as much as he lets people think he does.”

“I find it hard to believe you know everything about everyone.” Harry glances at his friend. He doesn’t even know he runs the advice account.

“I do, but you don’t have to believe me,” Niall shrugs. “Anyway, aren’t you going to ask how I figured this out?”

“No,” Harry answers with a smirk.

“Rude,” Niall scoffs.

“You were going to tell me regardless, so just get on with it,” Harry sighs, but a smile immediately crosses his face because he can rarely actually be annoyed by his best friend.

“Good!” Niall claps once in excitement. “So,” he starts off strong. “I was walking to class and I was on my phone replying to tweets when I bumped into him. Like full on knocked smack into him.” He claps his hands together to add a visual. “And he got all flustered and he blushed and it was so cute,” Niall gushes.

Harry raises his eyebrows in anticipation.

“And then he walked away and damn does he have a nice ass!”

“Yeah,” Harry chuckles. “That’s how it usually goes with you.”

Niall flips him off in response and then the two boys go back to eating and catching up on the events of the day so far.

* * *

“I’m dropping out of school.” Louis slams his backpack down on the desk, getting his best friend’s attention.

“Are you?” Zayn hums, not bothering to look up from his doodle.

“Yes, actually I am. I’m getting the form tomorrow.”

“And why are you dropping out?” He still doesn’t bother to take his eyes off the paper.

“Because I’m an embarrassment to society,” Louis groans, plopping down in his seat.

“Did you trip up the stairs again?” Zayn smirks, finally glancing up at the other boy.

“No,” Louis sneers, flipping him off. “I ran into Niall.”

“So?” Zayn wonders. “Niall’s a nice guy.”

“I ran into him, Zayn. I actually, physically, ran into him.” Louis’ tone is completely serious, as if this is the biggest deal in the world.

Zayn rolls his eyes. “Did he try to kill you after?”

“No.” Louis looks down at his hands and begins picking at his nails. “But I got all flustered and I wish he did.”

“Mhm,” Zayn nods. “You’re fine, Louis. Just listen to your classical music until the lesson starts and leave me be.”

“Bitch.”

* * *

“Niall!” Harry calls after his best friend as he’s heading down the hall. Niall stops and waits for him to catch up. “You want to ask out Louis? Niall, he’s straight.”

Niall gives his friend a puzzled look. “No, he’s bisexual.”

“He’s not, Ni.”

“Harry, he is. Why are you questioning me? I know everything. We’ve been over this.”

“How do you know he’s bi?”

“It’s not like he’s in the closet or anything,” Niall shrugs as he starts to make his way down the hall again. “He just keeps to himself.”

“How the fuck do you figure this stuff out?” Harry asks, following Niall so they can continue the conversation.

“It’s not that hard to just pay a little bit of attention here and there,” Niall winks.

“I still don’t think you know everything about everyone,” Harry smirks before leaving Niall alone outside his next class and heading back to where he came from.

“I do too!” Niall shouts after him.

Harry spins around to face his friend again. “Sure!” He flashes a grin and then disappears into the crowd of students.

* * *

“Hey, Louis.”

Louis pulls out his earbud, slightly annoyed for having to pause his music, and turns towards the voice.

“Oh, Niall.” Louis doesn’t have any problems with Niall, but he can’t recall them ever once having a full conversation. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to apologize for running into you earlier.” Niall sits down backwards at the desk in front of Louis’ so he can face him. “I should’ve been paying more attention.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Louis shrugs. “It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s really not.” Niall flashes his signature smile that makes Louis inwardly cringe. Everyone in the school knows Niall’s angle. He’s flirting. “Don’t say that.”

“It was,” Louis blushes. He can’t help it. As much as he isn’t interested in Niall, the flirting makes him a little giddy. “But, OK. If you say so.” Louis smiles lightly, the way he knows makes his eyes squint the perfect amount. He can flirt back, right? No harm in that.

Niall laughs. It’s quite infectious, really. He’s charming and he knows it.

“You’re cute.”

“Cute?”

“Yeah,” Niall grins. “I think you’re cute. Would you want to go out with me sometime?”

So maybe there is a little harm in that.

“Oh, um,” Louis stutters. “I’m not sure.”

Niall looks taken aback. “Why not?”

“I’m just,” Louis glances nervously around the room, “not really into the idea of dating right now.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Louis apologizes.

“It’s ok,” Niall sighs. He gets up from the desk to head back to his own. “I still think you’re cute,” he offers before leaving Louis alone again.

* * *

“Zayn!” Louis runs after his friend who’s heading out of the building now that it’s finally the end of the day. “He asked me out!”

“Who?” Zayn questions when Louis finally is close enough so they don’t have to shout.

“Niall. Last period.” The two boys start heading towards their cars as they talk.

“And?” Zayn coaxes him on, eyes wide in interest.

“I said no.”

“What? Why?”

“I just said I’m not interested in dating right now.”

“OK. That’s not even true.”

He’s right. It’s not.

“You’re literally always complaining about how badly you want a boyfriend,” Zayn adds.

“Yeah, but I don’t know,” Louis sighs. “I’m just not that into him.”

“Why not?” Zayn’s gaze flickers around Louis, never fixating on a point on the person he’s speaking to. “He’s cute. He’s nice. He’s funny.”

“Then why don’t you date him,” Louis snorts.

“Oh no,” Zayn shakes his head. “You know I don’t date people from school.”

“I still think that’s dumb. You’re clearly attracted to him.”

“Yes, I am.” Zayn doesn’t even bother to deny it. “And why aren’t you?”

“I don’t know.” Louis looks down at his feet, scraping his shoes against the pavement. “I’m just not.”

“Wait.”

Louis’ head shoots up. Zayn has been his best friend for years. Even though Louis is closed off to most people, Zayn can read him like a book.

“Do you have a crush on someone?” He teases.

Louis blushes. “No,” he mumbles.

“Oh my god!” Zayn exclaims. “You have a crush!”

“I literally just said I don’t,” Louis glares at him.

“You have a crush!” Zayn continues, ignoring his friend. “Who? Who? Who?”

“I don’t.” Louis approaches his car and unlocks it. “Please shut up.” He climbs into the front seat and slams the door behind him. Zayn just laughs and Louis flips him off through the window as he makes his way over to his own car.

* * *

Harry is at his desk scrolling through questions on the forum when his bedroom door bursts open.

“He rejected me!”

Harry quickly closes the tab and swivels around in the chair to face Niall. It’s not uncommon for his best friend to barge in unannounced.

“Who?”

“Louis,” Niall pouts. “I said he was cute and I asked him out and he said no.”

Harry bursts into laughter, earning a glare from his friend.

“Is this the first time you’ve ever been rejected?” he snickers. Niall just frowns in response. “This is too good. I’m tweeting about it.”

“Hey! Don’t be rude!” Niall reaches for Harry’s phone but it’s too late. “You’re the worst.”

Niall spends the next few hours lounging on his friend’s bed as Harry struggles through his math homework. Eventually he goes home for dinner and Harry is left alone.

Ten minutes later, his phone buzzes and he picks it up to check the message.

**hey harry, what are you doing?**

Harry smiles and quickly shoots back a reply to Liam.

Liam is Harry’s next door neighbor and practically brother. From the time they could walk they’ve been inseparable. Even though Niall is his best friend, Harry and Liam have a bond like no else. He’s also the only person who knows he runs the advice account.

Harry shuts off his phone and tosses it on the bed after receiving the message confirming Liam would bring ice cream when he came over to watch a movie in a bit. He continues studying until he hears Liam let himself in.

The two boys chat through the whole movie. Harry talks about some of the submissions he has received lately and Liam goes on about the school’s chances at a winning football season. Eventually the conversation shifts towards Niall’s first ever rejection, and Harry may go into a little too much detail on his description of Louis, eliciting a small grin from Liam.

* * *

Louis stares at the screen long enough for it to go dim from disuse. He taps his phone and the tweet lights up again, the words flashing across his mind.

**HAH niall just got rejected for the first time ever !!!**

Louis thinks back to his conversation with Niall. He definitely rejected him. There’s no doubt about it. So this tweet has to be about him. Which means Harry was talking about him. Holy shit. Harry was talking about him. Louis slaps a hand over his mouth in shock before his gaping lips morph into a wide smile. He jumps on his bed and squeals, something he will never, ever admit to.

_Harry was talking about him._


	2. The Advice

Louis is just on his way out of the bathroom and back to chemistry when he nearly runs into Harry.

“Oh, sorry mate,” Harry apologizes when he notices how close he was to bumping into him

Louis has gone to school with Harry for years. They aren’t friends, but they’ve had a couple classes together in the past and get along fine. Of course they do, Harry is incredibly charming. And handsome. His silky chestnut curls resting just above his shoulders and his emerald eyes that sparkle when he smiles. And of course he is now, his little dimple that’s to die for resting in his cheek. 

Louis quickly blinks back to reality.

“Uh, I’m, uh, it’s fine,” he sputters out, staring up at the other boy. Harry chuckles lightly. He moves to walk past him but then turns around to add one last comment.

“I’m glad you rejected Niall.”

“Oh.” Louis’ eyes widen slightly. “He told you, I’m guessing.”

“Yeah,” he chuckles again. “I’m not sure why you said no, but I’m happy you did.”

Louis swallows before speaking again.

“And why’s that?”

“Oh, you know,” Harry pauses, twirling a curl around his finger. “He’s not used to being turned down.” He smirks as he turns away at last, leaving Louis in the doorway, swearing he saw a little wink.

On his way back to class, Louis can’t help but think about the way Harry’s deep voice seems to glide through the air. Or his perfect cheekbones and sharp jaw. Or even the cute way his nose wiggles when he speaks. 

The classroom is filled with a low buzz from the students’ murmured conversations as Louis makes his way over to Zayn. He slides onto one of the stools around the lab table and leans close to his friend.

“OK, I have a crush,” Louis admits in a whisper.

“I fucking knew it!” Zayn whisper-screams, earning a glare from their teacher. “Who is it?” 

“Oh, I’m not telling you,” Louis asserts, pulling a thick packet towards him so he can read the lab procedure. 

“Tell me,” Zayn pleads, dragging out the words. 

“Never,” Louis smirks. 

“Hoe.”

“Oh, now you’re never going to find out.”

Zayn drops the topic at that, not caring to ruin his chances any further. 

For the next twenty minutes, the two boys work quietly on their lab, performing the titration somewhat successfully and recording the necessary data. As they’re washing their glassware, Louis overhears the group of girls at the bench next to them.

“And then, he told me my hair looked pretty,” one of the girls gushes. Louis recognizes the pretty brunette as a girl named Kendall. 

“He did?” her friend—Bella, Louis notes—questions, eyes wide in shock. “I didn’t think boys noticed that type of thing.”

“That’s because he’s not a boy,” a third girl comments. “Harry Styles is a man.” 

Louis’ head shoots up at the mention of his name, watching the group burst into a fit of giggles. He believes the last girl is named Cara, but he’s not quite sure. Zayn notices Louis’ attention shift, and follows his gaze.

“Do you think he’ll ask you out?” Bella asks when they’ve finally calmed down.

“Oh, I hope so,” Kendall sighs. “He’s just so dreamy.”

“I know he’s bi,” Cara starts, “but I’ve heard he has a preference for guys.” 

Louis blushes at the comment, earning a quizzical glance from Zayn. He had assumed Harry prefers boys, just from knowing and observing him all through high school, but he is glad to hear he wasn’t the only one who picked up on his tendency. And of course, it makes him happy to know he has just a slightly better chance. 

Kendall frowns slightly, then sighs. “I know, but a girl can dream, right?”

“Hey,” Bella chimes up. “You still have a shot. Didn’t he go out with Camille a few weeks ago?”

“She’s right,” Cara agrees. “No reason to lose hope.” 

Kendall smiles at her two friends, then glances back down at their own packet. “Shit. We should probably hurry up if we want to be finished before the bell rings.” 

At that, Louis finally tears his gaze away from the trio to find Zayn staring at him with a smirk resting across his lips. 

“What?”

“You hate gossip,” Zayn comments, the corners of his mouth tugging up even farther. 

“So?”

“And you just listened to their entire conversation,” he pushes on.

“What are you insinuating, Malik?” Louis glares.

“I wasn’t going to insinuate anything until you insinuated that I was insinuating something,” Zayn shrugs. 

Louis shakes his head. “You’re confusing as fuck.” He starts drying one of the beakers as Zayn continues to stare at his profile. 

“You have a crush on Harry,” Zayn whispers a moment later.

Louis freezes and slowly turns to face his best friend.

“You totally have a crush on Harry Styles,” Zayn repeats himself, a huge grin painted across his face.

“Would you keep it down?” Louis hushes.

“So you admit it? You like Harry.”

“That’s enough, Regina.”

“But you do?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Louis mutters, placing the dry beaker in its place on the rack.

“You should go for it,” Zayn suggests, setting down their freshly cleaned pipette amongst the others. 

Louis chuckles and shakes his head. “No way.”

“Why not?”

“Have you ever seen him in a relationship,” Louis asks. “No one ever acknowledges it but that boy has almost as many hookups under his belt as his best mate.” He picks up another beaker to start drying. “I’m not interested in being just another one night stand to him.”

“You’re such a baby,” Zayn pouts sarcastically. “I don’t know how anyone came up with that fuckboy persona of you.”

“I’ve been called that since before I lost my virginity,” Louis shrugs. “I think it has something to do with you.” He pokes his best friend in the chest before reaching around him to put the beaker away. 

“Hey, I wasn’t always a slut,” Zayn whines jokingly. “Don’t blame the handsome brooding one.” 

It’s true Zayn enjoys going out on what he refers to as “dates,” but the reputation Louis has started way before he started sleeping around. It was because he was smart and reserved, but still hot and intimidating, what with him being one of the first students in the class to come to school with tattoos displayed on his arm--just a few stick-and-pokes Zayn had done at first, but he’s since professionally added to the collection. At least, that’s what Stan told him when the rumors started circulating. He didn’t particularly like his reputation, but no one’s ever given him shit for it, so it’s no big deal.

“Cocky,” Louis smirks. “And I’m not a baby, I just prefer to be in a relationship before I sleep with someone.”

* * *

“Guess who I saw today?” Harry brings up at lunch, a tiny smirk tugging at his lips.

Niall rolls his eyes and takes a bite of his sandwich. “I don’t give a fuck, H. The pope?” he guesses, his words muffled by bread and lunchmeat. 

“No,” Harry sighs, “your lover boy.” He waggles his eyebrows as he pops a seaweed chip into his mouth. 

“Michael?” Niall questions, crinkling his nose. He’s never understood the appeal of his friend’s favorite snack.

“No.”

“Nathan?”

“No.”

“Will?”

“Dammit, Niall.” Harry crinkles his empty chip bag into a ball. “Louis.”

Niall frowns. “He doesn’t really count though. Since there’s been no, love-making.”

“OK, whatever,” Harry shrugs. “I ran into him going to the bathroom earlier.”

“Cool? Why are you telling me this?”

A wide grin spreads across Harry’s face. “I don’t know. We just had a nice conversation where I got to make fun of how you were rejected for the first time by him. So that was a good time.”

“Would you please shut up about that?” Niall huffs. He looks down at his hands and starts fiddling with his napkin, ripping off tiny paper pieces. “I still don’t know why he turned me down,” he sighs.

“Well,” Harry starts. “Maybe he just doesn’t like you.”

Niall whips his head up and glares at his friends. “You should really be a motivational speaker, H,” he sneers. “Or a psychologist. You always know just what to say.”

“Thank you,” Harry smirks. “I have been known to give some pretty good advice from time to time.”

“I don’t know who told you that, but they’re lying,” Niall retorts, causing Harry to pout. “And no, you’re wrong. He definitely likes me.”

Harry quirks an eyebrow.

“Definitely.”

“But he rejected you?”

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t like me. He just said he doesn’t want to go out with anyone right now,” Niall mutters.

“Aww,” Harry chuckles. “Can baby Ni-Ni not handle the possibility that not everyone is going to like him?” He pulls out his best baby-voice, sounding completely out of place compared to his usual deep, syrupy tone.

“I’ll get him to like me,” Niall affirms, and Harry raises an eyebrow. “He will, I swear.”

“And how are you going to get that to happen?”

Niall opens his mouth to speak, but immediately snaps it shut, unable to divulge a plan.

“You think on that.” Harry pats his shoulder twice before reaching over and breaking off a piece of Niall’s cookie, earning a swat to the arm from the other boy. 

As the bell is ringing and the two boys are grabbing their bags to head to class, Niall stops, his eyes glimmering with inspiration. 

“I have a plan.” Harry shoots him a confused glance. “For getting Louis to like me, of course,” he adds, flashing a bright smile.

“Oh, really?” Harry snorts. “Seeing that I could use a heads up so I can start prepping the damage control, what exactly is your plan?”

“I’ll do what I do best,” Niall answers as if it’s obvious.

“What’s that? Eat? Make Noise? Be annoying? Get shitfaced?”

“Yes,” Niall grins. “I’m going to throw a party and invite him.” He pauses and glances at Harry whose eyebrows are furrowed in a way that makes his expressions unreadable. “Then I’ll spend the whole night wooing him and he’ll like me for sure,” He explains.

Niall is known for throwing the school’s best parties. Even when they were younger, upperclassmen would show up at his house for them. They’re always a good time, and Harry has the perk of knowing the host. Which means he also knows which bedrooms are available. 

“If we get a party out of it,” Harry sighs. “I could use a hookup. I haven’t gotten laid in like, a week and a half.”

“Aww,” Niall pouts, rubbing a gentle hand up and down Harry’s arm mockingly. “How ya holdin’ in there, bub?” Harry rolls his eyes and shakes his friend off his shoulder. 

“So,” Niall starts, still grinning from successfully annoying Harry. “Next Saturday, my parents are out of town for a wedding and they’re staying the night, so I can have it then. You’ll be there right?”

“Yes, Ni. Of course I’ll be there.” 

Harry starts steering them to class as not to be late. Again. They don’t get far down the hall when Niall starts calling out.

“Louis!” he yells, waving his hand in the air when the boy spins around to see who is talking to him. “Louis, come here! I have to ask you something.” A faint blush tinges his cheeks as he makes his way through the crowd of students to where Harry and Niall are standing.

“Hi, Louis,” Harry grins, pushing his sleeves up over his forearms because it’s really fucking hot in the school, isn’t it?

Louis gulps, staring hungrily at the ink peeking out from his sleeve. “Hey, Harry,” he chokes out. “Niall,” he adds, nodding in his direction. 

“So Louis,” Niall starts, causing the other boy to finally tear his gaze away from Harry’s lean arms. “I’m having a party next Saturday. You should totally come.” He flashes his signature smile, bright white teeth and sparkling deep blue eyes. 

“You want me to come?” Louis stutters, noticing Harry’s smirk and the gleam in his eye.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Niall chuckles, his smile somehow growing wider. “You can bring some friends too if you want.”

Louis glances towards Harry who seems to be finding the conversation rather amusing. 

“Yeah,” he finally drags out, still slightly hesitant. “I’ll probably stop by with Zayn.” Harry’s smirk appears to morph into a small smile and Louis sighs internally. _Could Harry possibly be happy he is going to the party? With him. Oh god. Harry will be there._

“Great! I’ll see you then. Harry,” Niall turns towards the other boy, “we should probably head to class now. Can’t be late, you know!”

Louis offers a smile as the two boys start making their way down the hall.

“Bye, Lou!” Harry suddenly calls out, twisting around to wave over his shoulder. Louis doesn’t reply, just watches the boy quickly turn back and walk off. After a moment, he notices the crowds in the hall thinning out and realizes he needs to hurry to make it to class in time. As he bustles towards his room, his mind wanders to Harry and the four words he spoke to him. Four words. Four fucking words, that’s it. And Lou? Where did that come from? Regardless, it leaves a smile lingering on Louis’ lips as he slips through the doorway and into his desk just before the bell rings.

* * *

“He always looks perfect, even when he’s not trying,” Louis gushes.

“Is that so?” Zayn murmurs, his attention still concentrated on the notebook in front of him. 

Louis has been rattling on about his crush since their teacher announced they would have time to work independently on their assignments. It was supposed to be silent, but everyone knows that’s impossible with a group of twenty teenagers. For the past seven minutes, Zayn has desperately been trying to focus on balancing equations while his best friend extensively explains Harry’s outfit of the day—a sweatshirt and cuffed jeans.

“Yeah,” Louis sighs. “His clothes are simple but it’s the way his,”

“Curls effortlessly frame his face to graze his shoulders?” Zayn interrupts. 

Louis stills and blinks twice at his friend “How’d you know I was going to say that?”

“Intuition, I guess,” Zayn shrugs with a smug look on his face. “Now you should get started on some of your homework or you’ll be behind again and end up in your room every weekend getting it done.”

“You’re right,” Louis agrees, a wide grin suddenly bursting across his face. “We need to have it all done so we can go to Niall’s party next Saturday.”

“We?” Zayn questions, dropping his pen and raising his eyebrows to stare at his friend. 

“Yes, Niall invited both of us.” Louis puts on the sweetest smile he can, his eyes crinkling around the corners. 

“Well I have a date,” Zayn argues. 

“Can’t you just switch that to Friday?”

“No, I have a date with Jackson on Friday.”

“Oh. Who’s on Saturday? I can’t keep your dick appointments straight,” Louis chuckles.

“Travis,” Zayn answers, ignoring Louis’ remark.

“So just cancel your date with Trevor,” Louis suggests as if it’s obvious. “You’re coming to the party with me.”

Zayn rolls his eyes. “I just said it’s Travis.”

“It doesn’t matter, you’re not going.”

“Why do you want me to go to this party so bad?” Zayn questions, studying his friend. Louis shifts uncomfortably in the hard desk seat under Zayn’s heavy gaze. “Oh.” A wicked grin cuts across his face. “It’s because Harry’s going to be there.”

“Well yes,” Louis swallows. “But also, Niall asked me in the hall to come and I kinda said yes and I kinda said I’d bring you.”

“You’re always dragging me into your shit.” 

“So that’s a yes?” Louis’ eyes widen with glee as he watches Zayn rummage through his bag.

“Yes, I’ll text Trevor now,” he says, holding up his phone. 

“Travis,” Louis corrects him.

“It doesn’t fucking matter,” Zayn brushes him off. “His name was probably Tristan anyway.”

Louis watches intently as Zayn types out a message to whatever boy he had plans with. 

“Zayn?” Louis starts after a few minutes of silence. The other boy hums in response, prompting Louis to continue. “I’m nervous cause Harry’s going to be there.” Zayn sighs, shuts off his phone, and turns to face his friend. 

“Just talk to him. Get to know him a little,” Zayn suggests. “Be yourself and form a connection.”

Louis stares blankly at him for a moment. “Ugh, you’re no help,” he finally mutters.

“That was some pretty fucking good advice,” Zayn glares.

“Who else can I ask? You’re the only person who knows I like him,” Louis wonders, completely brushing off his friend’s offense.

“Just ask the advice account.”

“I am not telling a rando about my crush on Harry,” Louis whispers harshly through his teeth.

“Dude, it’s anonymous,” Zayn mutters. “And just say you have a crush. Don’t say it’s Harry.”

“That’s a good idea.” Louis nods lightly to himself, thinking of how he wants to word his message. “I’m a fucking genius,” he mumbles, earning a dirty look from Zayn.

* * *

Harry and Liam are cuddled up on the couch watching movies Sunday night, two days later, when they decide to take a scroll through the advice forum together. 

“I don’t understand how you can give such good advice about being a better student when you’re practically failing math,” Liam chuckles, reading his latest response to “Future Dropout.”

“Math is a very difficult subject, Liam,” Harry snaps before breaking into a grin.

Harry reads through the replies to his tweet as Liam continues to surf through the forum, looking for some interesting issues to help solve.

“Hey, H.” Harry looks up from his phone, making eye contact with Liam from across the couch. “Someone needs help with their love life,” he sing-songs. 

Harry shuts off his phone and scoots excitedly closer to his friend. “Read it, read it,” he pleads.

Liam chuckles and turns back to the screen to read the message aloud. 

“H, I’ve had a crush on this person for a couple months now, and on Saturday they’re going to the same party as me. How should I make a move? We’re not that close, but I’d love to get to know them more. From, A Hopeless Romantic.”

“That’s so cute!” Harry gushes, clapping excitedly. The two boys discuss how he plans to respond and Harry quickly types out the reply. 

**A Hopeless Romantic, If you have a crush, always start by trying to get to know them as a person. Talk to them at this party, get to know them a little. Make sure to be yourself and form a connection. If they like you back (why wouldn’t they? I’m sure you’re great!) things will fall into place :) -H x.**

When he presses ‘tweet’, Harry makes the connection between the party in message and Niall’s party on Saturday. He also remembers Niall’s plan to flirt with Louis. 

“Li? I think they were talking about Niall’s party,” Harry mentions, referring to whoever sent the message. “Are you planning on coming to that?”

“I might try to stop by,” Liam shrugs, not bothering to look up from his phone.

“Please do!” Harry begs. “I need you there!”

“Clingy, clingy, clingy,” Liam chimes, finally peering over the top of his phone to look at the other boy. 

“Please? I already know Niall is going to do something stupid,” Harry sighs. “It’s not even a gut feeling. He literally told me.”

“That kid gets away with too much,” Liam chuckles, shaking his head lightly. 

“I fucking know. And I have to control him.”

“And I have to control you. Funny how that works.” Liam smirks and Harry rolls his eyes playfully in response. 

“So I’ll see you at the party?”

“Yeah, I’ll always be there for you.”

As the two share a sweet smile, Harry’s phone dings with a direct message to the advice account. He stares at the notification lighting up his screen with a puzzled look.

“Louis just sent me a DM,” he says, confusion strung through his tone. 

“Are you going to answer it? You can’t exactly say your messages are always open if you never respond.”

“Yeah, of course. Just unexpected is all.” Harry unlocks his phone and reads over the message. 

**Hi! You’ve always said your dms were open so I was wondering if I could get a little advice just between you and me**

Harry sends a quick text saying he is more than happy to help out and receives an almost-immediate response explaining how Louis was “A Hopeless Romantic” and wanted more advice on how to get to know his crush. 

A rush of fondness rushes through Harry thinking about how unexpectedly shy Louis is. They chat for a few minutes, Harry telling him to talk and flirt with whoever it is he likes. When he finally wishes him good luck and shuts off his phone, memories of Friday afternoon hit him. Louis had been so awkward around Niall. He definitely recalls a faint pink tinge creeping across his cheeks as their conversation progressed. How could he miss it? It was so cute. 

“Liam!” Harry exclaims, the pieces finally clicking into place. His friend glances up at him with a raised eyebrow, signaling he has his attention. “Louis just admitted he was the one who sent the message about having that huge crush, and I think I know who it is.”

“You do? Who?”

“Niall.”

“Niall?”

“Yeah,” Harry affirms confidently. “He was so timid when they talked in school and Niall invited him to the party. It makes perfect sense.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean his crush is on Niall,” Liam comments. “He did reject him, remember?”

Harry racks his mind for a moment. “Nerves!” he finally starts, snapping his fingers with the realization. “He wasn’t expecting his crush to ask him out like that. And he could’ve been a little embarrassed over how they crashed into each other in the hall.”

The corners of Liam’s mouth turn down, still not convinced. “I don’t know, H. I still think you don’t know the whole truth, so don’t do anything rash. You’ll figure it out over time.”

“Of course,” Harry grins. “But when I’m right, you totally owe me a gallon of ice cream.”

Liam rolls his eyes and chuckles lightly. “I already bring that anyway,” he replies, motioning towards the empty container on the coffee table. 

“Well, bring more.”


	3. The Week

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the beginning is weird with Zayn getting sick. Basically what happened was in the original SMAU, Zayn wasn’t in school, but I had already written the car scene when I remembered this and didn’t want to take it out.
> 
> Also, my old writing was so rough! Some of the parts in here are taken directly out of the SMAU and let’s just say it has thankfully improved. 
> 
> Last bit, I tend to switch perspectives randomly, so hopefully it’s not too difficult to keep track! (I think I’ve done a pretty good job at making sure to let you know who is thinking what)

**Monday**

Monday morning, Louis slips into his favorite band t-shirt and tight black jeans before spending fifteen minutes styling his hair into a perfect mess. When Zayn pulls into his driveway, he has just enough time to grab a bagel before the barrage of messages come through begging him to hurry up. 

“Thanks for the lift, Z,” Louis mumbles through a mouth full of bagel as he slams the car door shut. 

“Of course, man.” Zayn twists around in his seat and pulls out of his driveway in one clean, practiced swoop. “Did you sleep through your alarm again? We’re running late.”

“No, I was working on my hair.” 

Zayn snorts and Louis throws him a glare while carefully adjusting a piece of fringe. 

“Well now that you mention it,” Zayn smirks, “that one hair is normally on the other side of your head, so maybe you did put some effort into it.” 

Louis flips down the sun visor to peer into the mirror. “What hair?

“This one.” Zayn reaches forward and roughs up Louis’ hard work, eliciting a shriek from the other boy. “Why are you so worried about it?” he chuckles. 

“Because.”

Zayn quirks an eyebrow, studying his friend. Louis looks nervous, his left leg is bobbing up and down and he’s chewing on his bottom lip. 

“What’s up, L,” Zayn asks, genuinely concerned. 

Louis lets out a heavy sigh. “I think I’m going to talk to Harry in maths today.”

“Finally!” Zayn exclaims before bursting into a coughing fit.

“Z? You good?” Louis questions, patting his friend on the back.

“‘M okay,” Zayn assures him. “My throat’s just a bit sore and my head is fuzzy.”

“If you’re sick, you shouldn’t be going into school.” Louis stares concerned at his pale profile. 

“But I promised you a ride.”

“Thanks Z, but please go home after you drop me off.”

“How will you get home?” Zayn worries, briefly glancing at his friend. 

Louis smiles to himself and shakes his head. “You worry too much. I’ll figure it out.”

“I don’t worry,” Zayn snaps, a glint in his eye contrasting his serious tone. 

“Yeah, okay, Mom,” Louis chuckles rolling his eyes.

Zayn pulls up in front of the school, but Louis doesn’t make a move to get out.

“How about I ditch with you?” he suggests. “We could get breakfast.”

“No way. You have a boy to talk to. Besides,” he forces a cough. “I’m sick.”

Louis curses but ultimately shrugs his backpack onto his shoulder and climbs out of the car, flipping Zayn off as he blows dramatic kisses out the window. 

“Fuck this shit.”

* * *

Louis is nervous. He is planning on talking to Harry, have a full on conversation with him, for the first time since he realized his crush. Louis taps his feet impatiently under the desk as his teacher drones on, waiting for the period to finally end. It’s maths, a class Louis has with Zayn and Harry, but of course, Zayn abandoned him. Luckily, he plans on using this absence to his advantage. 

Their teacher finally finishes the lesson with a couple minutes to spare before the bell will ring like she usually does, so Louis quickly packs up his stuff and starts walking towards Harry. He wipes his hands on his pants as he approaches him before bringing them together to fiddle with his fingers. 

“Hey, Harry,” he says, surprisingly without a waver in his voice. Harry is sitting alone, silently on his phone, so when he hears the boy say his name he quickly glances up, a bright smile spreading across his face when he registers who spoke. 

“Hi, Louis,” he responds. “What’s up?”

“Well, Zayn’s home sick today and I kind of lost focus in class,” he explains, still fiddling with his hands. “I was wondering if I could maybe take a picture of your notes,” he finishes, sounding more like a question than a statement. 

“Of course,” Harry responds, a twinkle in his eye. As he leans over to pull out his notebook, Louis reaches into his back pocket to grab his phone. His hands are still slightly clammy and he fumbles to open the camera.

“Stupid Face ID never fucking works,” he mumbles and Harry snickers lightly. “There, I got it.” Louis reaches over and snaps a quick picture of the notes. It is probably blurry, but truth is, he had been paying attention in class--maths is even his best subject.

“Thanks,” he adds once he is sure he has taken a believable photo, but he is determined not to let the conversation end there. “So I’m assuming you’re going to Niall’s party on Saturday,” he adds.

“Of course,” responds Harry. “He’s my best mate.” At that, the bell rings, signaling the end of class. Although the conversation was short, Louis considers it a win. He shoves his phone back in his pocket and turns to walk away when Harry calls out.

“Hey, do you wanna walk with me to lunch?”

Louis whips back around, confusion melting into a small grin as he tells Harry, “Yeah, sure. I’d like that.”

The pair walk out of the class in silence, but it’s broken as soon as they step into the hallway.

“Are you going to the party too?” Harry asks. “I know Niall asked you, but I was wondering if it was definite.” 

“Oh, yeah. I’m going with Zayn. It was nice of Niall to invite me though. I didn’t think he ever did that. Always thought his parties were open house.” A warm smile crosses his lips and his bright blue eyes shine as he finishes his train of thought. Harry isn’t oblivious, this boy is clearly fonding; he was right about his crush on Niall. 

They continue down the hallway, chatting about school and their classes, Harry snickering the whole time while Louis shares stories of his crazy chemistry teacher. When they make it to the cafeteria, Harry asks Louis if he wants to sit with him because Zayn isn’t there. Louis panics. 

“Umm,” he stalls. “I actually just remembered I need to talk to Mr. Richards about something.” With that, he speeds off back the way they came. Harry stands at the entrance for a moment, confused by the boy’s sudden nerves. And then it clicks as he’s making his way towards his friend. How could he be so stupid? Louis was obviously nervous to sit with his crush, Niall. 

“Talked to your lover boy again today,” Harry smirks as he drops his bag next to the bench. “He told me you asked him to come to your party.”

“What about it?” Niall shrugs before taking a bite of his ham sandwich. 

“I think your plan might actually work,” Harry suggests casually while reaching down to grab his own lunch. 

“I already know that,” Niall snaps. “But like, why the sudden faith in me?” he adds with a trace of uncertainty.

“Well,” Harry finishes munching on an apple slice before continuing nonchalantly, “he said he’s nervous for the party cause his crush is going to be there. Then we DMd and he said he wanted to talk to them this week before the party. And then after maths,” he pauses for dramatic effect, a forgotten apple slice clutched between his fingers, “we walked to lunch together and when he mentioned you he blushed and his eyes got all squinty because he was clearly trying to suppress a smile.” Niall stares at him, silently asking where Louis is now. “But when I asked him to sit with us he ran away,” Harry answers. “I bet he was nervous.” 

“You sure talk to him a lot,” Niall finally responds after processing the story. “Since when did you DM?”

Harry freezes mid-bite, an apple slice halfway in his mouth. 

“I’ve heard that story before,” Niall starts cautiously, “or rather, I’ve read it.”

Harry’s eyes dart around the cafeteria, refusing to meet Niall’s.

“I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid. It sounds to me like you run the advice account.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that statement,” Harry states, finally snapping into the apple slice. 

“I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out earlier,” Niall mutters, taking his friend’s response as a yes. “So you run the advice account,” he begins, “and you got a message asking for advice from someone who was nervous to see their crush at a party?” Harry just munches silently on his food. “And then Louis DMd you and told you it was him and he wanted to talk to them this week?”

“Well that about sums it up, yeah,” Harry shrugs.

“And you didn’t fucking tell me?” Niall yells, his voice a touch too loud for the environment. 

“I didn’t tell anyone!” Harry hisses. “It’s anonymous.”

“Anonymous,” Niall snorts. “I bet my ass you told Liam.”

“That’s not a lot to offer.”

“It’s attack Harry time, not Niall,” he pouts. “So, do I get to keep my ass?”

“Yes,” Harry answers hesitantly. “Liam knows.”

“For fuck’s sake! Not me? Your bestest friend in the whole world? The light of your life? Your lord and savior?”

“Well, to be fair, you tend to run your mouth. So you better not spill,” Harry warns.

“Nothing to worry about, H,” Niall assures him. “I won’t tell a soul.”

* * *

The rest of the day drags on for what feels like eternity--doesn’t it always?--but eventually Harry makes it out the main doors and is rushing to catch up to Liam.

“Liam!” he calls. “I think I messed up big time,” he starts once they’re close enough to avoid yelling.

“What did you do now?

“Niall found out I run the advice account,” Harry grimaces.

Liam stops in his tracks and lets out a sharp laugh. “I give it till Friday before he tells everyone.”

“He won’t tell. I trust him.”

“No, you don’t.”

“No, I don’t.”

Liam nudges Harry’s shoulder a moment later. “Is it really that big of a deal if this gets out? You only ever say nice things and everyone loves the account. It’s very unproblematic.”

“It’s not the end of the world,” Harry sighs, “but it’s easier being anonymous. People are more likely to share their problems because they don’t know who they’re talking to. And now people are going to think I run it for attention,” Harry groans after a pause.

“No one is going to think that,” Liam assures him. “You started it anonymously. You never intended for people to know it’s you.”

‘You’re right,” Harry grins meekly. “Thanks, Li. I’m glad I have you.”

“Of course. I’m always happy to help.”

* * * 

“I brought ice cream!” Louis yells as the front door slams shut. “Z? You home?”

“Yes, geez, I’m watching TV, calm down.” Louis kicks off his shoes and makes his way to join Zayn on the couch. “Ice cream? I have a cold. How is this supposed to help?”

“It’s not. It’s for me.”

“Hey!”

“However, I’d be willing to share if you got me a spoon.” Louis bats his lashes and Zayn rolls his eyes but ultimately makes his way into the kitchen. 

“Hey,” Zayn trudges back baring two spoons. “How’d that talk with Harry go?”

“Oh, right.” Louis reaches out and grabs a spoon. “Well first it was…” He furrows his brows and opens his eyes wide. “But then it was…” Now he grins brightly, his cheeks lifting so high he’s forced to squint. “And then it was…” His eyes grow wide again and his jaw drops slightly. “But overall…” He smiles and pumps his fist in the air to celebrate. Then he scoops the ice cream and begins shoveling it into his mouth. 

Zayn just blinks at him.

“Can you repeat that? With words, please.”

“Okay, so after maths I asked him if I could take a picture of his notes cause I ‘wasn’t paying attention,’ so I was super nervous. But he was so nice and sweet and said yes of course. Then he asked me to walk to lunch with him, and we talked and laughed the whole way. But then,” he points his spoon at Zayn having completely forgotten the ice cream as he recounts the story. “He asked me to sit with him and I wasn’t ready to do that because that’s like a whole thirty minutes, so I freaked out and said I had to talk to a teacher and ran off. But we still had a good conversation, so,” he tacks on with a shrug and small smile. 

“Day one sounds like a success to me,” Zayn grins enthusiastically, dipping his spoon into the carton. 

“Yeah,” Louis sighs. “I’d say so.”

X X X

**Tuesday**

Unlike yesterday, Louis doesn’t have a plan for talking to Harry. But he doesn’t need one because Harry comes running up beside him on his way to math. 

“Hey,” he says, flipping a lock of curls over his head. “Walk with me to class?”

“Well it would be pretty awkward if I said no,” Louis grins. It is just a sarcastic comment, warranting a chuckle at best, but Harry throws his head back and lets out a short, deep laugh, causing Louis’ smile to grow bigger. 

“So, have you talked to Niall since he invited you to the party?” Harry asks.

Louis raises his eyebrow slightly. “No, it’s kind of awkward since I rejected him and all.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Harry pauses before adding, “Why did you say no?”

Louis just shrugs.

“Don’t you like him?”

Louis is taken aback slightly.  _ Why would Harry think he likes Niall after they just talked about rejecting him? _

“I mean, he’s a great guy, I’m sure I’d like him as a friend, but I don’t  _ like _ like him, you know?”

“Oh.”  _ It makes sense. Louis wouldn’t just openly admit he has feelings to his crush’s best friend. _

“Let’s not talk about Niall,” Louis disrupts the moment of silence. “Are you going to watch the game on Friday?”

“Yeah, it’s supposed to be huge and Liam’s on the team so I usually go with Niall to cheer him on.”

“Cool, I’m a huge fan, so I’ll probably go too. Might have to convince Zayn to cancel his di- uh date though.”

Harry chuckles. “Well if Zayn doesn’t want to go, you can sit with us,” Harry suggests, thinking about how that meant Niall and Louis could spend some time together. But Louis isn’t listening. No, Harry is smiling which means his eyes are sparkling and his dimple is making an appearance. Louis is entranced, he doesn’t hear a word Harry has said, and he definitely doesn’t see the open locker he’s about to run into.

“Fuck! Shit! Bitch!” Louis exclaims, clutching his nose. On instinct, Harry lets out a loud laugh and then quickly claps his hand over his mouth, but not before Louis glares in his direction. 

“Sorry mate,” he apologizes to the boy whose locker he just hit before turning back to face Harry completely. “This isn’t funny,” he snaps. Harry gulps and nods his head, slowly removing his hand from his face. Louis has a reputation--bad boy, sleeps around, smokes weed in the alley behind your house after fucking your mom--but he never acted that way, of course because it isn’t true. This is the first time Harry has ever seen Louis act in any way intimidating, and it is kind of hot. 

He quickly shakes off whatever thoughts he was having and reaches out to grab Louis’ wrist, still holding his nose.

“Here, let me take a look.” He gently lowers Louis’ arm to see his nose is fine. “Don’t worry, it still looks perfect.”

Louis feels his knees grow weak. Harry just called him perfect. Well not him, his nose. And he was just implying that it wasn’t broken, but still. And he is holding his hand!”

Harry can’t help but notice how in an instant Louis had gone from hot and intimidating to adorable and soft. His bright blue eyes are slightly glossy and his bottom lip is sticking out a little in a pout. Neither one of them knows how long they stand there just staring at each other, but when the bell rings, they quickly snap back to reality. 

“Shit, we’re late,” Harry mumbles, turning and starting to jog down the now empty hallway. He is still holding Louis’ wrist, essentially dragging him along behind him. They slip into maths a minute later, Louis sitting in front of Zayn like usual, and Harry taking the seat next to him rather than his normal one across the room. They smile at each other, having made it before their teacher noticed they weren’t there. 

Zayn leans over and whispers in Louis’ ear. “You two better have been making out in a closet.” Louis’ eyes widen at such an idea, and he turns around to slap Zayn’s arm. 

“Boys,” the teacher chastises, turning around just in time to see Louis hit him. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to start class now.” Louis turns back around to face the front and gives a slight nod. The lesson starts and he steals a glance at Harry, only to find he is already looking at him. They make eye contact and both smile, Harry following his up with a wink. Louis quickly reaches down to fumble with the notebooks in his bag, his cheeks flushing deeply. 

* * *

That afternoon, Louis is lying on his bed, scrolling through Twitter with Zayn draped across his legs. 

“What’s this?” Zayn asks flipping his phone to show Louis his own tweet. Louis glances up from his screen to see the string of emoticons he had posted a few minutes earlier. 

“A beautiful love story,” he sighs, shutting off his phone and shifting on the bed so he is sitting up, facing his friend. 

“You’re going to have to explain.” Zayn peers back down at the screen. “One of these guys has a bandage on his head.”

Louis’ cheeks heat up and he buries his head in his hands. “It was so embarrassing.”

“Is this about you and Harry being late to class?”

“Yes,” Louis groans. “And no, we were not making out in a closet. I wish we were though.”

“What did you do?”

“So we were walking to class and he asked me about Niall and if I like him, which I thought was a dumb question, but I just said he’s a nice guy but I’m not into him like that. Then, to change the subject, I asked him if he’s going to the game on Friday and he said yes, so I said I’d probably go too. And then he said something else that I didn’t hear because I was distracted by his beautiful face and I ran into a locker.” Louis rushes the end of the story, still embarrassed by the accident. 

“You ran into a locker?” Zayn cackles.

“Yes,” Louis mumbles, refusing to look at his friend. “And then he laughed and I kind of snapped at him, but then he looked at my nose because I thought it was broken.” Louis instinctively scrunches his nose. “He said it was perfect though. Then I stared at him until the bell rang and we ran to class so we weren’t late.”

Zayn glances back at the Tweet still on his phone. “Wow. Okay. These emojis make so much sense now.”

“Right?” Louis grins. “I just can’t believe I was kind of mean to him. I’m so stupid,” he adds a moment later, flopping back onto his pillow. 

“Well,” Zayn starts, poking Louis in the stomach which earns him a glare, “you didn’t scare him off because he made sure you were alright. And you were both all smiley during class.” Louis smiles and pulls the pillow over his face to hide his blush. “It was sickening.” 

X X X 

**Wednesday**

Louis is turned around talking to Zayn when Harry arrives for maths. He walks over to where the other two boys are sitting. 

“Hey, Louis,” he interrupts. Louis immediately snaps his head to glare at who spoke, his eyes narrowed in an attempt to appear intimidating. But when he recognizes Harry, his face softens into a warm smile. 

“Hi, Harry,” he responds lightly. Harry flashes a smile before dropping his bag and taking a seat at the desk next to Louis. At that, the bell rings and Mrs. Jones is quick to start the lesson.

About fifteen minutes into class, Louis quietly leaves his seat to grab a tissue from the front of the room. As he walks towards the box by the door, he can feel a pair of eyes glued to him. He smirks to himself, he’s wearing his favorite pair of jeans. He tosses the tissue in the trash before turning around to catch Harry’s eye. The boy is still staring at him, his elbow propped up on the desk to support his cheek resting in his hand, and his mouth is open slightly. As Louis is making his way back to his seat, Mrs. Jones notices Harry’s lack of attention. 

“Mr. Styles,” she pulls Harry out of his trance. “I believe the lesson is up here, unless there is something more interesting to you by the door.” Harry’s cheeks grow red and he drops his head. Louis just chuckles to himself and continues making his way to his desk. Before taking his seat again, he leans over to whisper in Harry’s ear.

“I’m glad you think my ass looks good in these jeans.” Harry’s flush deepens and he mumbles something under his breath. “What was that?” Louis asks, earning a glare from Mrs. Jones.

“It was nothing,” Harry whispers just loud enough for the other boy to hear. 

* * *

“Alright class, that about finishes our chapter,” Mrs. Jones announces. “Tomorrow we will have a small quiz, so I would recommend using the leftover time in class to review.” She looks up at the clock, there are still ten more minutes left before the bell will ring. “Although I’m sure you won’t,” she adds. 

Zayn immediately begins talking about his latest art project, Harry joining in by asking a million questions.Then the conversation shifts to Louis’ music.

“I didn’t know you wrote music, Lou,” Harry teases, the nickname slipping out. It does make Louis smile, but he decides to just brush it off. 

“Yeah, it’s something I’ve been playing around with for a little.” He starts fiddling with his hands and Harry reaches out to grab them causing Louis to look up into his big green eyes. 

“Don’t be embarrassed about it. I’m sure it’s wonderful. I’d love to hear it sometime.” Harry smiles causing Louis to melt.

“Sure, um, I could play you something sometime,” he responds knowing he has know intention of letting Harry hear his music. 

The rest of class, the boys discuss where they are planning on applying to university and what they want to do with the rest of their lives after high school. When the bell rings, Louis picks up his bag and turns to follow Zayn out the door, but Harry grabs his wrist pulling him back. 

“For the record, I think your ass looks good every day,” he almost growls. Louis gulps, his heart beating faster in his chest. He’s also incredibly close to Harry. Louis can feel his hot breath on his ear and his curls brushing against the side of his face. They stand like that, in silence, for a few seconds before Harry lets go of the tight grip he has on his arm. Louis watches him walk out of the room, before scurrying after to meet up with Zayn waiting for him in the hall. 

“Honestly, I can’t even blame the guy,” Zayn chuckles, knocking Louis’ shoulder with his own as they head down the hall. “Your ass is rather nice.”

* * *

Harry is currently rifling through the pantry, gathering as many bags of crisps as he can find while Liam flips through Netflix from the couch.

“I don’t know, H. Do you think we have enough food?” Liam teases when Harry unloads his finds onto the coffee table. 

“Oi!” Harry exclaims, plopping onto the cushion next to his friend. “Oh, we should watch that.” He points to the screen where Liam is hovered over a new release. “Louis said it was good.” Liam hits play and reaches forward to grab some crisps. 

“I’ve noticed you and Louis have a new budding friendship,” Liam comments, pulling open the bag. 

“Yeah.” Harry reaches into the bag and pulls out a small handful of crisps. “I really think he likes Niall, so I thought I could help bring them closer together.”

“I’m not so sure Niall’s the person he has a crush on.”

“We already had this conversation. I just  _ know _ he likes him.”

“Okay,” Liam throws his hands up in surrender. “I won’t say anything, but you two seem to have gotten really close these last couple days. It’s cute.”

“Um, thanks?” Harry offers before popping another crisp into his mouth. 

“You’re so oblivious,” Liam mutters under his breath.

X X X 

**Thursday**

After the quiz, Harry had asked Louis and Zayn if they wanted to sit with him and his friends during lunch, which is how they ended up at the same cafeteria table. The period went by quickly, Louis sitting across from Harry and the two in deep conversation almost the entire time, ignoring the rest of the group. About five minutes before the bell is supposed to ring, Niall comes running up to the table, shoving Harry down the bench so he could sit at the end. Full of energy like he usually is, Niall launches into the conversation. 

“Hey, guys! So this girl I went out with last week keeps hitting me up, and she’s sweet and all but I’m just not that into her. And I’ve told her this, but she can’t take the hint and leave me alone. What should I do?”

The whole table turns to look at Niall, no one saying a word. Finally, Louis speaks up.

“You should just ask the advice account,” he shrugs.

“Good idea!” Niall exclaims, pointing at Louis. “Oh wait, Harry’s right here. I’ll just ask him.” Harry’s eyes widen and everyone shifts their focus to him. “Oh shit!” Niall clamps his hand over his mouth. “They don’t know you run the advice account,” he whispers. Except it’s not really a whisper, everyone nearby hears him. 

“Well if they didn’t know already, they know now,” Harry huffs, rolling his eyes. 

“I’m so sorry, Harry. You trusted me and I let it out. You were right. I can’t keep my mouth shut,” he apologizes. 

“Ni, it’s fine. I don’t mind everyone knowing who I am, and it doesn’t change anything for the people who send in issues,” Harry assures him.

For Louis, however, it changes everything. He has been getting advice about his crush from his crush. Does Harry know that it’s him he likes, or does he think it’s someone else? Either way he knows Louis has a big fat crush. A million thoughts race through his mind, but he’s pulled out of his head by Zayn literally pulling him up from the table, noticing how uncomfortable Louis looks. 

“We have to go talk to our chem teacher about an assignment. See ya later,” he quickly excuses themselves. Harry’s eyebrows furrow as Zayn drags Louis away.

“Has Zayn always been that hot?” Niall asks, turning towards Harry after they both watch the other two boys scurry out of the cafeteria. 

“Not the time,” Harry grunts, elbowing his friend in the ribs. “I have to fix this.”

Harry opens the Twitter app on his phone and is already bombarded with messages asking if the rumors are true. News spreads pretty fast. He carefully crafts a Tweet clarifying that it is in fact him, Harry Styles, running the account and explains that the submission website is still anonymous so there is no need to worry. 

* * *

“Louis, calm down. It’s not the end of the world. He doesn’t know he’s your crush,” Zayn tries to soothe Louis who’s pacing around the chemistry wing’s bathroom. 

“I know, I know,” he mutters. “But it’s still really awkward.”

“That’s understandable,” Zayn agrees. 

“Like, no matter how I act around him, he knows I’m an emotional mess. I literally called myself a hopeless romantic,” he groans, pulling at his hair. 

“Hey, hey,” Zayn mumbles, moving Louis’ hands from his hair and squeezing them reassuringly. “Nothing is going to change. He’s known it was you from the beginning. You just didn’t know you were talking to him.”

“I just can’t see myself being able to act normal around him again. I was already so uncomfortable at lunch until you pulled me away.”

“Just try to forget about it and talk to him in school tomorrow. And remember, be yourself,” he adds with a wink. 

X X X 

**Friday** ****

The bell rings and Louis hasn’t said a word to Harry all maths class, they were even sitting next to each other like they had been all week. Zayn is already out the door and on his way down the hall when Harry stops Louis in the doorway.

“Hey, Lou.” Harry smiles. “We haven’t talked all day.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m just pretty tired,” he lies, starting to walk off down the hall. 

“You’re still going to the game tonight though, right?” Harry asks, walking quickly to catch up to Louis. 

“I’ll think about it. I don’t think Zayn is willing to cancel though.”

“That’s okay, you can sit with me. Even talk to your crush,” Harry teases. Louis stops dead in his tracts. He can’t believe it. Harry actually went there. He’s making fun of him about his crush, to his face. Louis can only imagine what Harry might think if he knew  _ he _ was the boy he liked. 

“What’s wrong, Lou?” Harry grabs Louis’ shoulder. Louis looks into his eyes before shaking his head and struggling out of Harry’s grasp.

“Uh,” he mumbles. “I should probably find Zayn.” Louis turns to walk away, but Harry reaches out to grab his hand, only managing to hook his pinky. 

“Wait, Lou,” he calls out. “Please try and get some rest. You seem a little out of it.” Louis only nods in response before heading to meet up with Zayn at his locker. Harry watches him run away, confusion and disappointment taking over his emotions. 

“Hey, Z,” Louis starts when he catches up. “Do you want to come to the game with me tonight?”

Zayn lets out a deep sigh. “You know I have a date.”

“I was hoping you’d forget,” Louis pouts. 

“Just go alone. I’m sure Harry is going to be there. You can sit with him.”

“I don’t want to talk to Harry,” Louis whines. 

Zayn whips his head around to stare at Louis, eyes wide. 

“Harry teased me about having a crush.” Louis chews on his bottom lip and the corners of his eyes drop down. 

“Oh, baby.”

“And he said I can sit with him and his friends at the game so I could ‘talk to my crush.’ I still don’t think he’s realized it’s him yet,” Louis snorts. “I think he thinks I like Niall.”

Zayn chuckles and shakes his head. “Only go if you feel comfortable, okay? I’m meeting up with Jonathan, but you can always text me if you need.”

“Wait. I thought it was Jackson?”

“Oh, I’m not sure. It could be.”

“Well, have fun. I’m probably going to stay home and watch Wall-E. Oh crap. I’m going to be late. See ya,” Louis calls out as he rushes down the hallway. 

* * *

“Finally,” Harry mutters when he spots Niall at the bottom of the bleachers. He makes his way over and Niall slings an arm around his shoulder, alcohol potent on his breath. “Oh my god. I don’t want to have to deal with you all night.”

“Don’t worry,” Niall slurs. “I’m fine. I won’t bug you.”

“Sure,” Harry nods. “Have you seen Louis?”

“Uhhh.” Niall stares straight ahead of him, brows furrowed in concentration. “No.”

“Ugh,” Harry groans. “He told me he was going to try and come, and I don’t see him anywhere.”

“Does it matter? Oh! I forgot you like him.” Niall moves to pinch Harry’s cheek, but he slaps his hand away. 

“I do not. I mean sure, I like him as a friend. He’s a cool guy. But I don’t want to hook up with him.”

“Yeah,” Niall coos. “Cause you want to  _ date _ him.”

“I don’t date.”

“I’m drunk. I can’t deal with your idiocy right now.” Niall pushes off Harry and stumbles towards the bigger group that gathered around the steps. Harry just shakes his head and accepts the beer offered to him. 

* * *

Louis had gathered all his snacks and started playing Wall-E, when the doorbell rings. 

“For fuck’s sake,” he mutters. “I just got under my blankie.” He leans his head back and closes his eyes for a moment before the doorbell rings again. “Coming!” He shouts, throwing the blanket off his legs and shuffling to the door. He opens it to find Zayn, holding two pints of ice cream. 

“What are you doing here?” Louis asks. “I thought you had a date?”

“Well my best friend is upset. You said you were going to watch Wall-E, so I knew something was wrong. That and I called him Jason and he got mad so I left.”

“And to think I thought you actually cared about me enough to cancel your date,” Louis huffs mockingly. 

“I can leave if you want,” Zayn shrugs, “but the ice cream stays with me.” Louis’ eyes widen. 

“No, no, come in,” he pleads. Zayn chuckles as he steps into the house, Louis snatching the mint chocolate chip out of his hand. 

“I’ll grab spoons,” Louis says as he walks into the kitchen. Zayn heads towards the living room to find Wall-E already playing.

“Oh, god. I’m too late!” he calls out.

“We can change it if you want.” Louis appears next to Zayn, holding out a spoon. 

“No, I know you like it.” Zayn grabs the spoon, smiling. “Let’s cuddle under the blanket, okay?” Louis can’t help but smile as he nods and the two cozy up on the couch to watch the movie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was the longest chapter yet. And this is (probably) the longest chapter there will be. The formatting was a bit weird with parts inside of sections inside a chapter... it won’t happen again.


End file.
